Amy Radil

Reporter

Year started with KUOW: 2005

Amy Radil joined KUOW as a reporter covering politics and government in 2005. She got her start in radio as a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio from 1997 to 2000. She then freelanced for four years from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, contributing primarily to two public radio programs, The World and Marketplace. Amy graduated from Williams College in 1994 and received an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1997.

Initial election results indicate passage is likely, and backers say they are energized by the presumed victory. The opposing measure to bar expanded background checks, Initiative 591, has fallen short of passing so far.

Someone pursuing a complaint about a Seattle police officer no longer needs to enter the Seattle Police Department to do so. Instead, the department’s civilian oversight director has moved his office into a space he says will be more welcoming.

Washington’s upcoming vote on gun laws is being closely watched around the country.

It’s the first time a state has presented voters with two competing initiatives on gun regulations – one to require universal background checks and the other to prevent them. It’s also marked a new surge in campaign donations to regulate gun sales in Washington state. Advocates for background checks call the donations “a sea change” that could have ripple effects in other states.

The Seattle City Council is poised to approve new regulations governing microhousing. The bill would set new minimum requirements for tiny apartments and dorm-style projects. Developers say the regulations would kill off these projects entirely.

Marcie Sillman sits down with KUOW reporter Amy Radil to talk about a recent meeting at the Capitol Hill precinct where Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole addressed police use of force and tickets that were issued for smoking marijuana in public.

Friday’s ruling by a Pierce County judge was good news for Washington cities that want to ban marijuana stores. Yet it was also greeted with enthusiasm by supporters of the state’s marijuana legalization efforts.

A lawsuit over bans on marijuana businesses is headed to Pierce County Superior Court. The legal challenge has put the tiny city of Fife in the spotlight. That’s because the case could potentially derail Washington’s new system for legalized marijuana.

Initiative 502 provided for a new regulatory system for legal marijuana sales. But does that law give cities the ability to ban marijuana businesses if they so choose? That’s the first question for the court.

As part of the comedy duo Cheech and Chong, Tommy Chong portrayed marijuana users as slapstick buffoons. But now he’s in Seattle for what he says is the serious endeavor of promoting the benefits of marijuana – and his personal brand.